Little Lightning
by CarsWorldFan
Summary: Ever wondered how Lightning came to be built? This story takes place before the events covered in the flashback sequence in my first story, Lightning's Secret. Blaze and Elinor McQueen must have a son to inherit the family business, or they could lose it forever. But something goes horribly wrong at the factory. Will they get the son they desire?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me. **

Chapter 1

**New Year's Eve - 1987**

If there was one word to describe New York City on a New Year's Eve, that word would be 'crazy'. Cars were everywhere, and no matter which street you turned down, there was bound to be a traffic jam. Up in the high-rise apartment buildings, cars congregated out onto balconies, all vying for the best places to watch the fireworks that were soon to come.

But inside the penthouse apartment of the Daimler building, a very different celebration was taking place. It was a baby shower for Blaze and Elinor McQueen. The happy couple had been married for five years now, and almost nine months earlier they'd decided that it was time for them to have a baby. They would have been perfectly happy not to have one, as was the custom for most wealthy families in New York City, but the McQueens were very traditional when it came to the inheritance of the family business. It could only be inherited by a male heir, or it would be reclaimed by the bank. That was the agreement Blaze's great, great, great grandfather had set in place over a hundred years earlier. Blaze could still remember his grandfather trying to legally break the agreement, but it was simply impossible. The agreement could not be broken without the McQueens losing everything. And so, Blaze and Elinor had reluctantly decided to have a baby. What had helped influence their decision had been the marriage of Peter Piston to Elinor's sister, Susan, only a year earlier. Although Peter wasn't a McQueen, as the nearest male relative, he stood to inherit the entire McQueen Estate. The McQueen Estate was one of the largest real estate companies on the east coast, giving Blaze a personal fortune of over forty million dollars annually. Unfortunately, he could sometimes be a bit too generous when it came to spending it, but Elinor never complained. She no longer had to work, and she now had servants to wait on her every need, so why should she care how Blaze spent his excess fortune? As a shrewd business car, he'd never be foolish enough to lose it all in bad investments.

"Do you know if you want a boy or a girl?" one of Elinor's friends asked her as Elinor unwrapped yet another gift.

"We definitely want a boy," Elinor replied. She smiled when she saw the gift. It was a little toy rattle. "Thank you, Joanna."

"You're welcome," Joanna replied, looking up from the conversation she was having with two more of Elinor's many friends.

Another friend, Alice, parked beside Elinor in the spare space between the sofa arms. "I'm curious about one thing, Elinor. How do you go about having a baby?"

"Didn't your parents ever tell you?"

"No. They were too conservative."

"I see. Well, once you've made your decision to have a baby, you and your partner go along to the factory, where they interview you-."

"What questions do they ask?" another friend, Rose, asked, interrupting.

"Well… Uh, they asked us what our financial position was…"

Alice scoffed, making it sound like that was a ridiculous question for them to ask.

"They also asked us why we wanted to have a child of our own," Elinor continued. "They asked us all sorts of questions. Anyway, after that, they conducted a police check on us. That took a few days, and after we'd passed that, they put us on the waiting list. They said it takes on average nine months for them to get through the waiting list. So many couples want to have children, so there's always a huge backlog."

"So, what happens next?" Rose asked.

"We're still waiting to hear back from them. They'll just phone us, out of the blue, and then we'll only have two hours to get to the factory or we'll miss out. You need to be prepared to just drop everything and go when your turn comes around. If you miss it, you have to go through the whole process all over again."

"Wow!' Alice exclaimed. "That sounds intense! I'm so glad James and I have decided not to have any children. Where is James anyway?"

"He's watching the football in the den with the rest of our husbands," Susan said coming over. Sure enough, a large cheer erupted from the den, echoing throughout the whole penthouse. Susan shook her hood. "Men! One wonders if they ever really grow up." She parked in front of Elinor. "I just wish there was some way of ensuring you have a boy."

Elinor shook her hood. "I'm afraid not. The computer selects the gender completely at random. Eye colour, paint colour and body shape all come from our DNA."

"Hey, everyone! The ball is about to drop!" someone shouted.

The TV was immediately switched on, and the ladies all gathered around to watch. In the den, the men also switched channels to watch the ball in Times Square drop.

"Here we go!" Elinor grinned.

Everyone began shouting together, "Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! Two! One!" They began cheering as the ball dropped.

"Happy New Year!" The echo rang throughout the penthouse. Some of the cars hurried out onto the balcony to watch the fireworks, while others exchanged toasts.

Elinor glanced around at all the baby gifts she'd received. Was she really ready to have a baby?

"Are you okay, sis?" Susan asked her gently.

"I just don't know if I'm ready to become a mother yet. I mean, I know we're getting a nanny to help, but I'll have to help look after it too, won't I?"

"I guess. But you're paying the nanny, so she should do most of the work. When is she arriving?"

"Tomorrow afternoon. We're expecting the call anytime between now and the end of the month."

"That's a long time to wait!"

"I've already been waiting for over eight months," Elinor reminded her.

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll be a fantastic mother.'

Elinor smiled wistfully. "Would you like to see the nursery?"

"Sure!"

Elinor led Susan down the hallway until they reached a large room, which they entered. Elinor closed the door to shut out the noise, and she switched on the light.

"Oh, Elinor! This is simply enchanting!" Susan exclaimed with delight. "Oh, I love this cradle! That lace is beautiful! You've used a lot of white."

"Well, since we don't yet know the gender of the child, we decided that white was the safest option."

"Good idea. Oh, Elinor! I'm so glad you're so happy! I just wish my marriage was as happy as yours."

"What do you mean? Has something happened between you and Peter?"

"Well, yes… But it's so silly…"

"Please, tell me."

"I first noticed it shortly after you and Blaze announced that you were going to have a baby. He became rather distant at first, but than he became aggressive, especially whenever I mentioned you or the baby. I can't understand it myself."

"I wouldn't worry about it. But if he become violent, then you need to tell me."

"Oh, he's never been violent! Not even after he's been drinking. Maybe I'm just reading too much into it. His work is very stressful, so maybe that's what's causing it. It's fine. I'll be okay."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Oh dear! We're missing the fireworks!"

Elinor and Susan drove over to the floor-to-ceiling window to watch the colourful fireworks light up the city.

_1988, _Elinor thought. _I hope you're a good year to me. And our child. _

**Please review! I really appreciate any feedback. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me. **

Chapter 2

**January 12, 1988 – 1 a.m.**

_Ring! Ring! Ring!_

Groaning, Elinor slowly woke up. She felt around in the darkness with her tyre, searching for the phone. A flash of distant lightning lit up the room enough for her to find it.

"Hello?" She sounded so groggy! But what could anyone expect after being awakened at that hour of the morning?

"Mrs Elinor McQueen?"

"Speaking."

"This is Dr Baines, the chief engineer at the state factory. You have exactly two hours from now to get here, or you'll forfeit your place on the waiting list."

"Wait a minute. How do I know this isn't a prank?" Elinor asked.

"Mustang," Dr Baines replied, before hanging up the phone.

"Mustang," Elinor repeated, dazed. Each couple was given a unique code word to ensure that the call was genuine. 'Mustang' had been the McQueens' code word.

Elinor quickly pushed Blaze roughly.

"Huh? What? Who was on the phone?" he asked sleepily.

"Mustang," Elinor replied.

Blaze was instantly awake. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. We have exactly two hours to get there.'

Blaze switched on the lights. He glanced out of the window. "There's a storm on the way. We'd better hurry. It'll take us at least forty minutes to get to the factory; longer if it starts to rain!"

Elinor followed him into the hallway. Blaze was already waking up Mr Hood, the forklift butler, and Gracie Tyre, the forklift nanny who'd been hired to take care of their newly-built baby.

"It's time, Gracie," Elinor told her.

"I'll grab the kit, and we'll be on our way," Gracie replied. She'd prepared a special kit full of all the supplies they'd need to care for the new baby during its first few hours of life.

Minutes later, Blaze, Elinor and Gracie were on the nearly deserted road, heading towards the factory. They were only halfway there when it started raining. It was only light at first, but it quickly became heavier. Thunder rumbled overhead, and lightning flashed across the sky.

Finally, they arrived at the factory, with fifty minutes to spare. As they entered the entry foyer, they saw a couple leaving in tears.

"Very sad," the receptionist said, explaining. "The doctors couldn't jumpstart their baby, and it was declared 'still-built'. Sometimes, it just happens, and we have no idea why. Now, you're Mr and Mrs McQueen, right?"

"That's correct," Blaze replied.

"Right. I'll just ring Dr Baines to tell him you've arrived. Please, just wait over there. He won't be long, I'm sure."

Blaze and Elinor parked themselves in the waiting area, while Gracie went to phone the rest of the family.

Elinor sighed nervously. All sorts of questions ran through her mind. What would their baby be like? Would it be healthy? And, most importantly, would it be a boy?

It seemed like an eternity before Dr Baines joined them, but it was really only about five minutes.

"Mr and Mrs McQueen. Please follow me. Uh, your friend…"

"Gracie's our hired nanny," Elinor explained.

Dr Baines nodded. "I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait in one of the waiting room, along with the rest of the family when they arrive."

"That's fine," Gracie smiled. "I was expecting that."

Gracie was taken to a waiting room, while Dr Baines took the McQueens to his private office.

"Right," he said once they were alone. "First things first, I need to ask you some questions. Are you one hundred percent certain that you still want to have a baby? Because once it's been built, you can't give it back."

Blaze and Elinor quickly exchanged glances.

"Yes, we're one hundred percent certain," Elinor replied. "This is all we've talked about for the past year."

"Good, good. We always ask that, because sometimes we get couples who change their minds at the last minute. Now, I need to take DNA samples from both of you, and then the computer will need to scan you. After that, we just have to play the waiting game, while the computer does its work."

"What's the scan for?" Elinor asked.

"So the computer can figure what body shape your new baby will have."

"Oh. That makes sense."

…

While Blaze and Elinor were with Dr Baines, the rest of the McQueen family arrived at the factory. They were shown into the waiting room where Gracie was.

"Isn't this so exciting?" Susan exclaimed excitedly.

"I hope it's a boy," May, Blaze's sister, said.

Peter scowled, but nobody saw it. After a moment, he excused himself, saying he had to go to the bathroom. He drove, unnoticed, down the hallways. For once, he was glad his cousin had worked as a midwife in one of these places. She'd given him valuable insider's knowledge.

Finally, he came to a door with a sign posted on it saying, 'No Entry – Lab Technicians Only'. That was the room he'd been looking for. Concealing himself in the shadows, he waited.

Soon, a white forklift came along. He was carrying a container with several test tubes in it. On the side on the container, the name 'McQueen' was clearly labelled. Peter grinned. This is what he'd been waiting for. He watched closely as the forklift punched a number into the electronic keypad.

"Five-nine-two-six-three…" he muttered, committing the number to memory, as the forklift entered the room.

Ten minutes later, the forklift left the room, closing the door securely behind him. Once he was gone, Peter drove over to the door. He quickly punched the same number into the keypad, and then he entered the room, closing the door behind him.

Inside the room, computers hummed and buzzed. It was nothing new to Peter. He used computers everyday for work. Looking around, he found the screen he wanted.

On the screen was a CGI image of a prototype Dodge Viper with dark blue paintwork. On the right-hand side of the screen, the option 'Male' was flashing. Peter scowled again. So, that is what his nephew would look like. Suddenly, the computer spoke, making Peter jump backwards.

"Organic synthesis initiated."

"Damn!" Peter whispered. He was now too late to ruin the baby's organic properties. But there was still a lot of damage he could do. Removing a floppy disk from his hubcap, he inserted it into the computer. An options menu came up. Gulping, Peter moved the curser over the option to 'Upload files'. This was it. While he hated the idea of ruining an innocent baby's life, it had to be done to secure his own future happiness. He clicked the option.

"Uploading files," the computer said.

Red 'error' messages started coming up on the screen. Peter quickly removed the floppy disk, and he hurried out of the room.

Once Peter was back in the hallway, he crushed the floppy disk with his tyre, destroying it completely. Breathing a sigh of relief, he returned to the waiting room.

"You sure took your time!" Susan admonished him.

"Sorry. I got a bit lost," Peter apologised.

Meanwhile, a lab technician entered the computer room. He gasped when he saw all the errors on the screen. He hurried over to the window that showed a clear view of the factory floor below. A flash of lightning lit up the entire factory. The lab technician couldn't see much, but he knew that he'd have to report this. Behind him, the computer spoke again.

"Mechanical synthesis complete."

The lab technician watched sadly as the newly built baby emerged from the factory machines. It looked nothing like the CGI image the computer had created. Sighing heavily, he pressed the button to activate the PA system.

"Dr Baines required urgently in the computer room."

…

Elinor was anxiously pacing the floor of the private waiting room she and Blaze had been asked to wait in.

"Oh, I do hope it's a boy!" she muttered.

"Relax, Elinor," Blaze soothed. "If it's a girl, we'll just have to apply again to have another baby in a few months."

Dr Baines entered the room then, looking very grim. Blaze and Elinor froze.

"Mr and Mrs McQueen? I'm really sorry, but something's gone horribly wrong."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me. **

Chapter 3

Mrs McQueen gasped. "What? What has gone wrong?"

"It seems that the computer has somehow managed to pick up a virus," Dr Baines explained. "We're very lucky that it didn't infect the baby's organic properties; that would almost certainly have killed it. But the virus has caused the computer to unintentionally alter the baby's body and mechanics."

Mr McQueen frowned "In what way?"

"Your baby is not a Dodge Viper. And it's not dark blue."

"But… Is it a boy?" Mrs McQueen asked.

"Yes," Dr Baines nodded. "It is a baby boy. However, in situations like this, we highly recommend not jumpstarting the baby."

"What?" Mrs McQueen explained. "Why?"

"Most cars that are built live healthy, normal lives. But about one in every five thousand cars suffer from problems initiated during their build. Most of the time, we don't know what those problems are until the car is older. To put it bluntly, they become lemons."

"Are you saying our son is a lemon?" Blaze asked. A sick feeling rose up inside his fuel tank.

"Not all cars that have problems are considered lemons. To be classed as a lemon, they have to break down, on average, ten times a month. I don't believe your son will ever be a lemon, but with so many potential underlying problems…" Dr Baines sighed. "It's your call, but we must know within the next five minutes, or the baby will die anyway."

Blaze and Elinor exchanged glances. All their hopes and dreams were resting upon this baby.

_Is it worth the risk?_ Elinor wondered. _It's not as though we can't afford to pay for any medical treatment he might need. But, would it be fair to him? To bring him into this world knowing that he'll never be normal?_

Blaze was asking himself the same questions. Sighing, he turned to Dr Baines. "Can we have a moment to discuss this privately, please?"

"Of course," Dr Baines replied, and he left.

A flash of lightning lit up the room as Blaze and Elinor turned to face each other.

"If the only problems with the baby are mechanical ones, I think we should keep him," Blaze said. "After all, it wouldn't be too hard to replace faulty parts, even if we have to have them custom-built for him."

"I agree. And if we get all his issues sorted out while he's still a baby, he won't have to go through any pain and suffering later."

Blaze nodded thoughtfully. "So… We're agreed?"

"Yes."

Blaze went over to the door, and he opened it. "Dr Baines?"

The doctor drove closer to him. "Yes?"

"We've decided to keep our son."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Elinor confirmed. "He's our son, and we want him. Please."

"Very well then," Dr Baines said, and he drove away down the hallway.

Moments later, he drove onto the factory floor. The baby was exactly where he'd left him, but a group of midwives had gathered around him.

"Stand back, everyone," he instructed. "The McQueen's have decided to keep their baby. Can you all wait outside, please, while I jumpstart him."

The midwives quickly drove off the factory floor, leaving just Dr Baines and his assistant. Going over to the baby, Dr Baines opened his hood. Everything appeared to be relatively normal, considering what this baby had just gone through. However, his engine did look a bit big for him. Still, it was an engine, and that was all that mattered.

Dr Baines secured the jump leads to the baby car's battery. He then nodded to his assistant. An electric charge shot through the battery, making the baby jump. But it didn't breathe.

"Increase the voltage by a hundred," Dr Baines instructed.

The assistant did so, and he flicked the jumpstart switch again. Once again, the baby jumped, but he still didn't take a breath.

"Come on,' Dr Baines whispered. They'd already had one still-built baby that night, and he didn't want to have another one. It was always heartbreaking telling the parents that their baby had died before it had even had the chance to live.

The assistant increased the voltage and he flicked the switch. The moment the baby jumped, Dr Baines thumped the baby's side with his tyre. Finally, the baby took his first breath. But it was only a shallow one. Dr Baines held his own breath, waiting for the baby to take his second breath. He sagged down on his tyres when the baby didn't take another breath.

Dr Baines glanced at the clock. The baby had been in existence for ten minutes now. That was the maximum time limit allowed to jumpstart a baby. After that, they were declared still-built.

Dr Baines looked back at the baby. He was just about to make the sad declaration when he saw the baby's lips twitch. He nodded to his assistant, silently telling him to give the jumpstart another try. This time, the assistant gave the baby twice the usual amount of volts. The baby almost leapt into the air as the surge raced throughout his tiny body. Then, opening his mouth, he drew in a deep breath. Then he took another. And another. And another.

Dr Baines smiled. He was sure that this baby would be okay now. Seeing that the baby was breathing at last, one of the midwives drove onto the factory floor. She gently covered the baby in a soft, white blanket, before she carefully lifted the fragile baby car into her forklift arms.

As Dr Baines and the midwife left the factory floor, the baby began to scream. Loudly.

"To think that just a few minutes ago we couldn't get him breathing," Dr Baines chuckled.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" the midwife asked.

Dr Baines glanced down at the baby in her arms. "With those lungs, I'm sure of it!"

They entered the room where Blaze and Elinor were waiting. As soon as they heard their baby crying, they smiled, and they gathered around the midwife.

"Aww! He's so sweet!" Elinor exclaimed. "And so tiny!"

Blaze frowned. "He's red."

"So what?" Elinor said, as she gently took her screaming baby from the midwife. "Dr Baines did say that he wasn't the same colour as us. Oh! He's adorable!"

With the baby now snuggled safely on the inside of Elinor's front left-hand tyre, he stopped crying.

"He knows who his mother is," the midwife smiled.

"Yes," Elinor agreed.

Dr Baines cleared his throat. "I know you've just bonded, and you're going to hate me for doing this, but we need to give him a check-up now. You're welcome to come with us though."

The midwife gently scooped the baby up into her arms, and the happy group headed down the hallway to an examination room. The midwife carefully placed the baby down on a special set of scales to be weighed.

After the baby had been weighed, the midwife placed him on the examination table. He immediately sighed and sank down low on his tyres.

"Yeah, I know," the midwife chuckled, stroking the baby soothingly. "It's exhausting being built, isn't it?"

The baby whimpered and he smacked his lips together.

"I think he's wanting something to eat," Dr Baines said. He picked up a little torch. "We're getting there, little one."

The midwife gently prised the baby's mouth open, so Dr Baines could check inside his mouth. The baby moaned and wriggled restlessly as he tried to move away from them. The moment he succeeded, he blinked open his eyes. Elinor gasped in astonishment.

"Blaze! He's got your eyes!"

Blaze's own sapphire blue eyes widened upon seeing his son's beautiful blue eyes. The baby looked around in all directions as he saw everything for the first time. Frightened, he attempted to move on his own, but his tyres had no grip on the aluminium table, and he just slipped everywhere. The midwife picked him up again.

"I think you'll have your tyres full with this one!" she said as the baby continued trying to escape from her.

"When will we know what's wrong with him?" Blaze asked Dr Baines.

"Not until he starts learning how to drive, and that won't be for at least six months."

"Oh." Elinor turned to face her husband. "I don't think we should tell anyone else that there could be something wrong with him. There may not be, so why worry everyone for no reason?"

Blaze nodded in agreement. "Yes, I'd much rather keep the computer error to ourselves. There's no need for anyone else to know about it."

"Have you decided on a name yet?" Dr Baines asked Blaze and Elinor.

"We did have some names selected," Elinor replied. "But none of them really suit him now."

"Why don't you name him after his father?"

Blaze shook his hood. "We've already decided that my name will be his middle name. We don't want to confuse everyone."

A flash of lightning lit up the room. The baby's eyes widened when he saw the flash. Then he smiled and giggled, waving his little tyres in the air.

"That's it!" Elinor exclaimed. "Lightning! We'll name him Lightning!"

"That's not a name," Blaze frowned.

"Well, it is now!" Elinor retorted. She gently patted the baby's roof. "He's our little lightning bolt."

"Lightning Blaze McQueen?" Blaze said. "I guess it does have a nice ring to it. Okay. Lightning it is then."

"Is that official?" Dr Baines asked. He was over at the computer, typing up the baby's build certificate.

"Yes," Blaze and Elinor replied in unison. Then they smiled at each other.

Nodding, Dr Baines typed it into the computer. He then printed out the certificate, and he passed it over to Blaze.

"Congratulations, Mr and Mrs McQueen, on the successful build of your son."

"Are we able to take him home now?" Elinor asked.

Dr Baines nodded, and he opened the door. The midwife bundled Lightning up in the blanket, and she followed Blaze and Elinor out of the examination room. Dr Baines brought up the rear.

Upon reaching the room where the rest of the family were waiting, Dr Baines opened the door. May, Susan, Peter and Gracie looked up as Blaze and Elinor drove into the room. They were grinning broadly.

"Allow us to introduce to you our new son, Lightning Blaze McQueen," Blaze announced proudly.

The midwife drove into the room, and she lowered her arms so everyone could see Lightning. He looked up at everyone with his large sapphire blue eyes.

"Oh! Just look at those eyes!" Susan exclaimed.

"Aww! He's so sweet!" May added. "But why is he red?"

Blaze and Elinor glanced at each other.

"We thought it might be nice to have a change," Elinor replied. "What with everyone in this family being dark blue, we thought red might help brighten things up a bit. He can always be repainted later if we change our minds."

Lightning began crying again. Reaching into the bag strapped around her body, the midwife pulled out a bottle of warm baby oil, which she passed to Elinor.

"It's time for his first feed," she said, as she placed Lightning down in front of Elinor. "As his mother, you may have the honour."

Picking up the bottle with her wheel, Elinor held the bottle out to Lightning. With the midwife's help, Lightning managed to find the teat and he immediately began drinking the baby oil. Everyone smiled. Even Peter, although his smile was somewhat forced.

"I think I could get quite used to this," Elinor said, smiling proudly.

**Please review! I'd love to know what everyone thinks of this story so far. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me. **

Chapter 4

"Whaaaaaaaaah!"

Groaning, Blaze pulled his blankets right over himself. He and Elinor had only had Lightning home for one day, and already they were fed up with his screaming. Beside him, Elinor sighed sleepily. They heard Gracie getting up to go and attend to Lightning. No doubt, he just wanted another feed.

"I am so glad we're not planning to have any more children," Blaze muttered as he settled back down to sleep.

"Well, at least we know there's nothing wrong with his lungs," Elinor whispered.

"Mmm… Dr Baines said he'd probably only suffer from mechanical issues, not biological ones."

"I was only making a statement."

"Oh."

Meanwhile, Gracie entered Lightning's bedroom, and she turned on the light. The sudden brightness startled the baby car, and he instantly ceased crying. He fixated his beautiful blue eyes on her as she came over to him.

"What's wrong, little Lightning?" Gracie asked him sweetly. Looking around, she saw that Lightning had kicked his blankets off himself, and was now shivering a bit, despite the heating system being turned on. Gracie gently wrapped the blankets around Lightning's tiny body, ensuring his wheels were properly, but safely, restrained. It was then that she noticed something. It was a dark brown stain in the middle of the disposable sheet that lined the cradle.

"Whoops! Had a bit of a leak too, did you? I suppose I'd better change that for you."

Gracie lifted Lightning out of his cradle, and she placed him down on the rug in the middle of the floor. It didn't take her long to change the sheet. When she was done, she scooped Lightning up into her arms, and she carried him into the kitchen. Once there, she took a bottle of baby oil out of the fridge, and she put it in the microwave to warm up.

Lightning squirmed restlessly in her arms, moaning in protest against the restraint. After a moment, Gracie took the warmed baby oil out of the microwave and, after testing the temperature, she slipped the teat inside Lightning's mouth. He immediately began drinking.

"There now. That should warm you up, and hopefully make you sleepy," Gracie soothed. She smiled when she saw that it was already working. A moment later, Lightning let go of the bottle's teat. He'd clearly had enough.

Gracie carried Lightning back to his room, and she gently placed him back in his cradle. Lightning was fast asleep before she'd even left the room.

A few hours later, Elinor was helping Blaze get ready for work. Today, Blaze would be announcing the successful build of his son to his company's board. Elinor was just helping him put on his hubcaps, when they heard Lightning start crying again. Blaze rolled his eyes.

"I think I'll have breakfast on the way," he decided.

"Blaze."

"What?"

"I know we're not yet used to having a baby around, but he is our son. You just can't pretend he's not here."

"It wouldn't be so bad if he only cried when I wasn't here."

"Well, that's not going to happen, so get over it. Go and say good morning to Lightning. Let him know that you're his dad."

Sighing, Blaze headed down the hallway to his son's room. Gracie was holding Lightning, feeding him again. Blaze smiled a little when he saw his tiny son snuggled up securely in his warm blankets.

"May I?" he asked, gesturing to the bottle.

"Of course!" Gracie placed Lightning down on the floor in front of Blaze, and she handed over the bottle. Lightning resumed drinking contently.

"I didn't realise a baby would be so much trouble," Blaze sighed as he watched his son drinking. "I'm so glad we hired you."

"He's not the worst baby I've ever cared for," Gracie replied. "I cared for one once that constantly cried, except when it was asleep."

"And I suppose I should be grateful that Lightning only cries whenever he wants something, correct?"

"Absolutely. He'll only be a baby for so long. When he becomes a rebellious teenager, you'll look back on these days and wish that he was a helpless little baby all over again."

Blaze chuckled. "Yes, I suppose that's true. Well, I'd better get going. Don't want to be late." And he passed the bottle back to Gracie.

As Blaze drove out of the room, Lightning tried to follow him, but the blankets wrapped tightly around his tiny body prevented him from moving anywhere. Gracie gently picked him up again.

"Don't worry, Lightning. He'll spend some more time with you later. Finish this baby oil, and then after breakfast, your mother and I will give you a nice warm bath, okay? Yeah. That's a good boy."

About an hour later, Blaze arrived at his offices on Wall Street. He was pleased to see everyone bustling about enthusiastically as usual.

"Good morning, Mr McQueen, sir," the receptionist greeted him. "Almost all of the board members are here now, and I've sent one of the juniors out for a round of coffee."

"Sounds good. Thanks. I hope you've remembered that I take double sugar in mine?"

"Of course, sir."

Smiling, Blaze drove into the spacious boardroom. He could see all but two of the board members already assembled in there.

"Good morning, everyone."

"Morning, sir," everyone echoed.

The two remaining board members dashed inside, and they took their places around the large table. "Sorry we're late, sir," one of them said. "Traffic jam."

Blaze rolled his eyes. "Well, now that you're all here, I can make a start. But before we get down to the nitty gritty of business, I have an important announcement to make. As you all know, my wife and I have been forced into a position where we had to have a son to inherit this company after I'm gone, or else it'll be returned to the bank. Well, the good news is that my wife and I are now proud parents of a healthy baby boy."

The board members cheered and applauded politely.

"Congratulations, sir," one of the said.

"Thank you. I just thought you should all know that the future of the McQueen Estate is now secure. But now to other business… Ah! Good. Here's the coffee. I really need that this morning."

"Baby keeping you awake already, is it, sir?" one of the male board members asked, making everyone snigger.

"Let's just say, he's got a very good set of lungs," Blaze chuckled.

"That's usually an indication that the baby has a very powerful engine," a female board member stated.

Blaze was surprised. "Really? I didn't know that." He took a sip of his coffee.

"Have you named your son yet?" someone else asked.

"Yes. His name is Lightning Blaze McQueen. But you will all address him as Master Lightning. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Why 'Lightning'? That's such an unusual name."

"My wife's suggestion," Blaze explained. "It suits him though. Now, let's talk about more serious matters…"

"Hey! Stop that!" Elinor exclaimed as Lightning splashed her for a second time. He was really enjoying his very first bath.

Putting his mouth just beneath the surface, Lightning blew some bubbles. Gracie and Elinor chuckled.

"That's so cute! I want to get a picture of that," Elinor said, and she picked up her camera.

"So you can embarrass him on his eighteenth birthday?" Gracie grinned.

"Yeah. Do that again, Lightning!"

Taking a deep breath, Lightning did so, and Elinor took a few pictures. Lightning then stuck his tongue out underwater. A few seconds later, he discovered that he couldn't breathe underwater, and he quickly surfaced, gasping and spluttering for air.

"Is he okay?" Elinor asked with concern.

"Oh, yes," Gracie reassured her. "I don't think he'll ever do that again. Okay, Lightning. Bath time's over. Let's get you out and dried off."

Lightning splashed his mother one more time as Gracie lifted him out of the shallow water.

"Oh! Thanks Lightning! I didn't need that!"

Giggling, Lightning stuck his tongue out again. He seemed to really like it now that he knew how to control it. Gracie covered him with a warm, thick towel. Squealing excitedly, Lightning tried to get away from her.

"Whoa! Settle down, little one. You're not ready to start driving by yourself yet."

Lightning squealed again, and he rolled over onto his roof. Gracie quickly corrected him, placing him back on his tyres.

'We can't let him do that," she explained to Elinor. "Baby cars have been known to die suddenly as a result of sleeping on their roofs. If you see him doing it, you need to correct him immediately. We don't want it to become a habit."

"Do you know why they die?" Elinor asked.

"No. Even scientists can't understand it. Okay, Lightning. It's time to settle down now. Nap time. And when you wake up, I'll take you for a walk through Central Park."

Elinor didn't like the sound of that. "Are you sure that's wise?"

"Oh yes. He needs to have fresh air. Otherwise, his immune system will be weak and it won't work properly."

"Oh. Well, I'll trust your judgement, since you know a lot more about babies than I do. May I come too?"

"Of course! You don't need to ask."

Gracie placed Lightning back in his cradle, and she began rocking it gently. Elinor watched on quietly as the rocking motion slowly lulled Lightning off to sleep. She was completely in awe of his innocence, and the trust he had in them to look after him properly. She felt like a bad mother for not taking care of Lightning herself, but since she'd never had any experience with babies before, she was grateful to have Gracie beside her. Lightning was the most precious object in her life now, and she couldn't let anything bad happen to him. It'd be a disaster for all of them if Lightning wouldn't be capable of fulfilling his destiny. She could scarcely believe that everything the McQueen family had accumulated over decades of hard work was now resting in her son's tiny wheels. She only hoped he wouldn't let them down.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 5

**Ten Months Later**

Lightning squealed excitedly as he rolled over onto his roof. He liked doing that, because it immediately got Gracie's attention. The moment he rolled over, Gracie would be right there, rolling him back over onto his tyres. The moment she turned around, he'd roll right over again. Although he thought it was a game, Gracie quickly became frustrated with him.

"Just stop doing that!" she growled at him as she righted him for the umpteenth time. "You do that one more time, and I'll put you back in your cot!"

Lightning giggled until she'd turned her back again. Then he stuck his tongue out at her. He was smart enough to know when he'd pushed Gracie far enough. The adults kept saying that he was 'very advanced for his age'. He had no idea what that meant, but they smiled whenever they said it, so it must be a good thing.

Hearing someone enter the apartment, Lightning attempted to start his engine. But since he was still on baby oil, there was nothing to feed his engine, and so it refused to turn over.

"I've told you not to do that, yet," Gracie told him firmly without turning around to look at him. She drove forward as Elinor entered the lounge room. "Good afternoon, Mrs McQueen."

"Gracie. What time was Lightning's appointment?

"Four o'clock."

"Oh, good! I was hoping to accompany you. And how is my little Lightning bolt?"

Lightning grinned cheekily as his mother drove closer to him, and he tried to hide under his favourite red blanket in an attempt to play hide 'n' seek.

"He's been a bit naughty, I'm afraid," Gracie replied.

"In what way?"

"He keeps rolling onto his roof and trying to start his engine."

"I can understand the rolling onto the roof as being naughty, but I thought trying to start his engine was a sign that the baby was ready to be weaned."

"It is, but he's got another two months to go until he'll be ready for that. At least, that is what's normal for most children. We'll see what the paediatrician says this afternoon. She might decide that Lightning is ready to be weaned."

…

About an hour later, Elinor led the way inside the paediatrician's office, followed by Gracie carrying a squirming Lightning in her arms. She set him down on the examination table, pinning him down with one of her arms. Lightning screamed in protest until Gracie gave him a gentle smack on his rear bumper.

"That's naughty!" she scolded him.

Pouting, Lightning reluctantly settled down. The paediatrician, Dr Barker, a forklift, came over to the table.

"Hello again, Lightning," she said cheerfully. She looked up at Gracie. "How has he been going? I see he's grown quite a lot since I last saw him."

"He has," Gracie agreed. "He has a really healthy appetite, and he's already showing signs that he's ready to be weaned. But I don't want to do that yet if he isn't ready."

"I understand," Dr Barker smiled. "I'll see how he's developing first, and that should give us a good indication for if he is ready to be weaned. Can you place him on the scales, please, Gracie?"

Lightning squealed again as Gracie picked him up. She set him down gently on the cold metal scales, making Lightning shiver.

"Okay, that looks pretty good," Dr Barker smiled.

Gracie placed Lightning back down on the examination table. Seeing Dr Barker pick up a special torch and a thin piece of wood, Lightning opened his mouth.

"I see he's learned what this is for!" Dr Barker smiled as she gently pushed his tongue down with the piece of wood. Lightning yawned then, making the task of looking down his throat much easier for Dr Barker. But as she went to remove the wood, Lightning bit down on it, holding it firmly between his emerging baby teeth. "Hey! You cheeky little boy!"

Lightning giggled, but he held tightly onto his prize. He tried to start his engine again, but of course, it did nothing. He stopped when he saw Dr Barker frowning with concern.

"He really shouldn't be doing that yet. I see that a lot in babies who are over a year old, but rarely at ten months."

"Is there any other way of knowing if he's ready to be weaned?" Elinor asked.

"There are several tests, but the most reliable one is to just let the baby taste a bit of fuel, and if he's happy to drink it, it means he's ready to be weaned. I'll prepare the test now."

Lightning continued playing with the piece of wood, until Dr Barker held up a bottle half-filled with baby oil and a little bit of fuel. Gleefully, Lightning latched onto the bottle, and he began drinking. For a moment. Upon tasting the potent fuel mixed in the oil, he gagged, squealed and pushed the bottle away with his wheel.

"He's not ready to be weaned," Dr Barker declared. "And I'm afraid there's nothing we can do to stop him trying to start his engine. Just ignore him whenever he tries to turn it on. If you punish him, he'll eventually stop trying, and we don't want that."

Lightning continued moving his tongue around inside his mouth for a moment, trying to get rid of the strong taste of fuel. After a moment, he started to get a strange tingling feeling inside his engine. Then his tank grumbled. Lightning was surprised. While his mouth wasn't happy about ingesting the fuel, his tank and engine sure were!

Lightning looked up at the adults. They were still discussing amongst themselves the best ways of managing Lightning's attempts to start his engine. Seeing the bottle still beside him on the table, Lightning tipped it over. He then latched onto it, sipping the concoction slowly. This time, the shock of the fuel wasn't as great, and he managed to swallow a mouthful. Then another. And another. Almost before he realised it, he'd drained the bottle.

The tingling sensation inside Lightning's engine had increased dramatically by now. He didn't realise that it was the fuel making its way down the fuel lines and into his engine, ready to be used. Lightning glanced at the adults again. They were still arguing amongst themselves.

Drawing in a deep breath, Lightning closed his eyes, and he tried to turn on his engine. To his complete surprise, it switched on easily, and came roaring to life. Hearing the noise, his mother, Gracie and Dr Barker all turned to look at him. They gasped in astonishment. Lightning grinned, expecting praise. But their reaction wasn't what he expected at all.

"Tell him to switch his engine off, now!" Dr Barker exclaimed. "He'll damage it!"

Before Elinor could even open her mouth to talk to Lightning, his engine cut out, having run out of fuel. Bitterly disappointed, Lightning immediately burst into tears.

"I'm going to have to take him for an engine scan," Dr Barker said firmly. "You'll both have to stay here, I'm afraid. We don't allow anyone into the scanning room unless it's absolutely necessary."

At Elinor's nod, Dr Barker lifted Lightning up into her arms, and she began carrying him out of the room. Realising that his mother wasn't coming with him, Lightning began screaming and thumping Dr Barker wildly with his tyres. Her only response was to shift him so that his kicks wouldn't be able to hurt her.

Poor Lightning was very frightened by the time Dr Barker carried him inside another room. This one had a large and very scary-looking machine right in the centre of it. It resembled the archway of a tunnel with a table in it. Lightning whimpered as Dr Barker set him down very firmly on his chassis on the table.

"I need a complete engine scan for this little rebel," Dr Barker ordered the assistant who was already in the room.

The moment Dr Barker released her arms, Lightning attempted to get away. But without the use of his engine, he couldn't move very far. Or very fast. Dr Barker immediately grabbed him again, and she set him down firmly again.

"Can you also deploy the infant sized wheel clamps for the table?" she asked the assistant.

Lightning yelped in surprise when the clamps shot out from the table and secured his wheels. Despite the restraints, he continued struggling. Dr Barker went over to a nearby bench, somewhere behind Lightning. Realising that nobody cared, he stopped struggling. But he was still very scared. Looking up, he saw a red laser beam being emitted from the machine. It flashed on the table right in front of him. He whimpered and started crying again.

"Shh… It's okay, Lightning," Dr Barker soothed as she came back over to him. She gently rubbed the area around his fuel tank inlet. Then, before Lightning could realise what was happening, she inserted a syringe inside his fuel tank inlet and she depressed the plunger. Lightning gasped as he felt the liquid being injected inside his tank. He'd never been fed that way before, and while he knew it was normal for adults to get their fuel that way, he couldn't understand why Dr Barker was giving him something now.

After a few minutes, Lightning started to feel drowsy. His tears dried up and he began to yawn.

"Okay, I think we can go ahead with the scan now," Dr Barker told her assistant.

Lightning heard the whir of the machine as it started up, but he was too tired to care about it now. He could feel the table moving him forwards, but then he drifted off to sleep.

Ten minutes later, Dr Barker carried a sleeping Lightning back into her office, where Elinor and Gracie were still waiting.

"Sorry about that," Dr Barker said as she carefully handed Lightning over Gracie. "He was being incredibly difficult and wouldn't keep still, so I had to sedate him. He should wake up in about an hour."

"What did the scan say?" Elinor asked anxiously.

"That's the odd thing," Dr Barker frowned. "His engine is completely fine. Normally when baby cars try to start their engine prematurely, they end up straining it and causing irreparable damage. They then have to undergo an engine replacement a few years later. But, Lightning's engine appears to be in similar condition to a ten year olds!" She shrugged "I can't understand it myself, but I can't argue with the scan."

"So, does that mean he can be weaned?" Gracie asked.

"I'd wait another month, and then start. That's the best I can suggest."

"Okay. Thank you," Elinor said. She and Gracie then left, taking the still sleeping Lightning with them.

**Please review! I'm afraid I'm struggling a bit with this one, so a bit of encouragement would be greatly appreciated. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me. **

Chapter 6

"Watch out, Lightning," Blaze said as he and Mr Hood carried the large Christmas tree into the lounge room where Lightning was playing with his toys. Lightning watched with wide, curious eyes as the tree was placed in its ceramic tub.

"We've got the decorations!" Elinor announced as she and Gracie entered the room. "Blaze! It's beautiful!"

"I knew you'd approve," he smiled. He planted a kiss on Elinor's fender. Lightning pulled a face before returning to his toys.

"I can't believe this will be Lightning's very first Christmas," Elinor sighed wistfully. "It seems like we've have him for years.

Blaze laughed. "I'm sure it must seem like that at times."

Looking down, they saw Lightning stacking his wooden blocks as high as he could reach. As soon as he'd finished building his tower, he lunged forwards, crashing into the blocks and sending them toppling all over himself. Blaze and Elinor chuckled.

"I'd be lost without you, Gracie," Elinor told the forklift sincerely.

Gracie picked Lightning up. He squealed, reaching out to Elinor with his tyres.

"Mmm!" he moaned. Elinor's eyes widened.

"Put him back down, Gracie. I think he's trying to talk!"

"He's too young to be talking yet," Gracie said.

"Mmm… Ma! Mamma!" Lightning said.

Gracie almost dropped him in surprise! "Oh my goodness! He IS talking!"

"Mamma! Mamma! Mamma!" Now that Lightning had spoken his first word, he wouldn't stop. Elinor took him from Gracie. Lightning bounced excitedly on her hood. "Mamma! Mamma! Mamma!"

"Can you say 'dada'?" Blaze asked hopefully. "Dada… Come on. Say dada…"

Lightning blew a raspberry at him. Blaze reeled back in surprise. "Who taught him how to do that?"

Mr Hood cleared his throat. "Uh, sir? The tree's ready to be decorated."

"Thank you, Hood. Okay, everyone! Let's decorate!"

Squealing excitedly, Lightning wriggled off Elinor's hood, and he started to crawl over to one of the large boxes full of decorations. Since he wasn't moving fast enough for his liking, he attempted to start his engine again.

"Lightning…" Gracie said warningly.

Lightning pouted for a moment. But then he jumped straight into the box.

"Lightning!" Elinor exclaimed, hearing something break. Lightning sheepishly peeked out of the box.

"Mamma?" The innocence in his tone made everyone laugh. Gracie lifted him out of the box.

"Whoops! He broke your purple bauble, I'm afraid."

"Oh, Lightning! That was my mother's!" Elinor said sadly. She carefully removed the broken ornament from the box, and everyone got to work decorating the tree.

Soon, the decorations were almost up. Lightning had tried to help, but most of the decorations he'd put on were clumped together on the lowest branches. Even so, he was very proud of his effort.

"I'll ask Hood to move them once Lightning's asleep," Elinor told Gracie.

"Please, don't," Gracie whispered back. "You'll break his little heart if you do that. He's done a very good job for his first ever attempt. Maybe next year, you could get him a little tree that he can decorate himself."

"Good idea," Elinor smiled. Seeing Lightning yawn, she scooped him up onto her hood. "Okay, sleepyhead. Bedtime."

"Mamma…" Lightning cooed softly, stretching out his tyres. Feeling the warmth of her engine and hearing its gentle purr, he promptly fell asleep.

"Aww! Now that is too cute!" Blaze whispered.

"I don't want to move in case I disturb him!" Elinor added softly.

"You can't stay there all night, dear."

"You're right." Taking a deep breath, Elinor crept forwards slowly, taking great care not to disturb her infant son.

Upon reaching the nursery, Elinor gently tipped Lightning into his cradle. He rolled over onto his roof.

"No!" Elinor whispered. She tried to roll him back over onto his tyres, but she was afraid of waking him.

Just when she was about to start crying out of sheer frustration, Gracie entered the room. She quickly turned Lightning the right way up. Then she packed some pillows all around Lightning, to stop him rolling over again in his sleep.

"I feel like I'm a bad mother," Elinor later confessed to Gracie as they sipped on cans of hot oil.

"Why?"

"I couldn't even roll him over!"

"Neither could I the first time I looked after a baby. I just didn't want to wake it up, but then I realised that if I didn't, the baby might die. So, I just had to do it. The baby didn't even wake up, much to my great relief. You'll get the hang of it soon."

Elinor took out Lightning's baby book. "I'd better write down his first word…"

…

A week later, Lightning was starting to get really excited. First, the adults had set up the beautiful tree in the lounge room, and now they were whispering about giving him something special for Christmas. He couldn't understand everything they were talking about, but from their smiles, he guessed it was something good.

One afternoon, Elinor, Blaze, Gracie and Lightning went to see Dr Barker again. Even the doctor's surgery had been decorated with tinsel and fancy baubles. Intrigued, Lightning tried to grab the tinsel that was decorating the receptionist's desk. Gracie was quick to stop him.

A few minutes later, Gracie carried Lightning inside Dr Barker's office. Lightning wriggled and squirmed restlessly. He didn't want to be there again so soon after his bad experience the last time he'd been in there. He screamed when Gracie pinned him to the examination table.

"That's enough, Lightning!" Gracie growled at him. He immediately settled down. He watched nervously as Dr Barker opened up a can of fuel. She brought it over to him.

"Here you go, young one. You can drink all of that."

Lightning hesitated, and he stared at everyone in confusion. Seeing his mother nod, Lightning clamped his lips around the straw and he began to drink the fuel. He drained the can.

"Try turning your engine on," Gracie gently prompted him.

Taking a deep breath, Lightning tried. It took him three attempts, but it finally turned over. Everyone grinned broadly. Seeing them smile, Lightning revved his engine as loudly as he could. Unfortunately, he forgot that he didn't have his brakes on, and before he could stop himself, he went racing off the table and straight onto Blaze's hood!

"Ouch!" Blaze yelped. "Lightning!"

Giggling, Lightning drove over his father's roof and down onto the floor. Dr Barker picked him up and she set him back down on the table.

"You're a bit of a speed demon, aren't you?" she teased. Then she glanced up at Blaze and Elinor. "Unfortunately, he's going to hate me for what I have to do to him now." Returning to the bench, she began to prepare an injection.

"What's that for?" Elinor wondered.

"Carburettor virus," Dr Barker replied. "Trust me, you don't want him to get it. Gracie? Can you open his hood for me, please?"

Lightning couldn't see the needle, but just before Gracie opened his hood, he saw his mother turn around. Then Blaze pinned him down to the table. Lightning tried to break free from the restraint, but then he felt a sharp prick in one of his oil lines. He yelped, and burst into tears.

"Oh, sweetie!" Elinor exclaimed, coming over to him. She hugged him protectively while Gracie closed his hood.

Lightning continued crying, even when Dr Barker gave him a lollipop. Gracie lifted him into her arms.

"Shh… It's okay, Lightning. Let's get you home so you can have a nice sleep. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and Santa's going to bring you some really nice presents. But only if you're good."

"Nanna?" Lightning sniffled.

"Yes," Elinor agreed. "Nanna's going to look after you."

"Say 'dada'," Blaze said.

Lightning frowned thoughtfully. "Tata!" he finally exclaimed.

Blaze felt a little bit hurt. He'd always hoped that his son would be close to him. But he seemed to prefer his mother.

"That's close enough for now," Elinor told Blaze softly. "As least he's tried."

"Yeah," Blaze sighed. "Let's go now. Lightning's starting to fall asleep again."

Sure enough, Lightning was resting in Gracie's arms, with the lollipop hanging loosely in his mouth.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me. **

Chapter 7

"Is he asleep?" Elinor asked Gracie in a low whisper.

"Yes. He couldn't understand why he had to put a tyre on the floor in front of his bed. I told him that it was for Santa Claus to fill up with gifts for him, but he didn't get it. He thought the tyre was for him!"

"Well, we'd better fill it up while he's asleep."

Moving silently, Elinor and Gracie entered Lightning's bedroom, using only their headlights for light. Gracie brought the bag full of small gifts over to the tyre that had been painted in red, white and green stripes, while Elinor crept over to Lightning's crib. Glancing inside, she saw that her tiny son was indeed fast asleep under his favourite red blanket. One of his tyres was halfway to his mouth, indicating that he'd been sucking on it before drifting off to sleep. Elinor smiled fondly at him. She couldn't get over just how vulnerable he was.

A movement out of the corner of her eye caught Elinor's attention. It was Gracie, indicating that she'd finish and that it was time to leave. Leaning over, Elinor planted a soft kiss on Lightning's roof. Then, together, she and Gracie drove silently out of the room.

…

Early the next morning, Lightning slowly woke up. Normally, he'd wake up quickly, but his cradle was so cosy and warm this morning, and he didn't want to leave it. But he was also hungry…

Just when he was about to start crying for his breakfast, he noticed that the tyre he and Gracie had put out the night before was now full of little goodies for him.

"Mamma?" Lightning whispered. "Tata?"

Nobody else seemed to be awake yet, so Lightning revved his engine as loudly as he could. That brought everyone rushing to him!

"What's wrong, Lightning?" Gracie asked as she gently lifted him out of his cradle.

"Tata!" Lightning exclaimed, pointing towards the tyre on the floor with one of his own.

Blaze rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me he made all that racket just so he could play with his toys!"

"Calm down, Blaze," Elinor soothed. "It is Christmas after all. Put him down, Gracie. I want to see what he thinks of his new toys."

Gracie did so, and Lightning accelerated, driving straight into the tyre, sending the toys and treats scattering in all directions.

"Thank goodness we didn't buy him anything fragile!" Elinor sighed.

Giggling excitedly, Lightning pounced on a bouncy red ball. But it managed to escape from him. Lightning watched as it bounced off the wall, and hit Blaze right between his eyes!

"Ow!" Blaze yelped, making Lightning shriek with laughter. "No, Lightning! You don't throw balls at people!"

"Baba?" Lightning asked.

Blaze held up the ball. "Ball. Say it!"

"Baba!" Lightning exclaimed, making a grab for it.

"No… Say ball…"

"Baba!" Lightning repeated. Then he leapt up onto his father's hood.

"Hey! No! Lightning! Get down, now!"

Ignoring him, Lightning tapped the ball with his tyre, knocking it out of Blaze's grasp. Then he leapt off Blaze's hood, chasing after the bouncing ball again.

"Leave it, Blaze," Elinor told him firmly. "He's not even a year old, and you expect him to be able to talk properly?"

"Why not?"

"He's only making sounds now; not words, sir," Gracie patiently explained. "In a few months, he'll start saying words properly, but for now, he's just experimenting with his vocal chords."

"Just as long as he doesn't start screaming again," Blaze grunted.

Someone knocked on the bedroom door. It was Mr Hood. "Breakfast is served," he announced.

Gracie promptly scooped Lightning up intro her arms. He screamed and wriggled in protest. Blaze cringed.

"You were saying?" Elinor chuckled.

…

A few hours later, the rest of the family started to arrive at the penthouse. Lightning ignored them mostly. He was content playing with his new toys on the floor in the lounge room. One of his gifts was a wooden jigsaw puzzle, which he was now trying to piece together. His aunts and uncles were delighted to see him, and at first, they kept trying to hug and kiss him. Things quickly settled down though, and Lightning continued to amuse himself while the adults talked.

Peter noticed that Mr Hood was preparing to serve out the drinks. His tank churned when he thought about what he was about to do. But he had to do it. His mistress was insisting on more and more expensive things and holidays, and he had no money to pay for them. Getting rid of Lightning would clear the way for him to inherit Blaze's fortune. But he had to be careful about it. If he was caught…

Shaking his hood, Peter drove over to Mr Hood. "Are any of those for Lightning?"

"Ah…yes, this one is," Mr Hood answered, pointing to the smallest can of fuel.

"I'll give it to him," Peter volunteered.

Mr Hood hesitated, but since he was already so busy, he handed it over. Taking the can of fuel, Peter drove over to Lightning. He paused behind the baby car. Lightning was fully engrossed in his puzzle. Taking a deep breath, Peter positioned the can of fuel beside his front wheel, and then he opened up the centre section of his hubcap. A small steam of clear liquid poured into the can. Peter sighed as he closed the hubcap. With any luck, Lightning would die quickly. If not, he'd be severely scarred for life.

Peter pushed the can of fuel towards Lightning. "Here you go, sport!" he said, trying to sound cheerful.

"Oh, Lightning!" May called, holding up Lightning's new ball. "Look what I've got!"

Grinning broadly, Lightning charged across the room, accidentally knocking over the can of fuel in his wake. Peter reeled back, to avoid being splashed. Not noticing what he'd done, Lightning drove straight into May, rebounding off her front bumper.

"Baba!" he shouted excitedly as he tried to grab the ball. May threw it across the room, and Lightning chased after it.

Glancing down, Peter saw that the acid he'd placed in Lightning's can of fuel had already burned a small hole in the carpet. Blaze also saw the hole, and their eyes met.

"Peter, I think you wanted to see me about something?" he said loudly.

Peter was confused. "Did I?"

"Yes. Come on."

Reluctantly, Peter followed Blaze into his office. Blaze closed the door behind them. Then, he turned to face his brother-in-law.

"Why?" he asked. Inwardly, he was seething with rage, but externally, he appeared to be cool, calm and collected.

"Why what?"

"Why did you try to kill Lightning?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do."

Peter let out a long, defeated sigh. "What are you going to do?"

Blaze paced the room thoughtfully. "I don't know. I could easily phone the police. But that would break Susan's heart. She loves you."

"Yeah, I know."

Blaze drove over to the phone, preparing to make the call.

"Wait!" Peter called out. "Half a million!"

Blaze turned to face him. "What?"

"If you give me half a million dollars, I promise I'll never try to harm Lightning again."

"You could've killed him today," Blaze muttered, still quietly seething with rage. He didn't want to imagine what could've happened if Peter had succeeded. The acid would've destroyed Lightning's delicate internal parts, causing a long and painful death. He shuddered at the thought.

"Yes, I could have. And if you don't give me the money, I'll go back out there right now and force that acid down his smug little throat!"

Reluctantly, Blaze pulled out his chequebook. A moment later, he handed the cheque over to Peter.

"Just remember. If you ever attempt to harm Lightning again, I will be reporting this incident to the police."

"Understood."

"Good. Now, let's go back out there and put on the Christmas spirit. We don't want to upset the ladies, do we?"

"No," Peter agreed. And he left the office.

After a few minutes, Blaze opened the door again. Seeing Mr Hood heading back towards the kitchen, he beckoned for the forklift to join him in his office.

"Yes, sir?" Mr Hood said after he'd closed the door.

"I have a strong reason to suspect that Lightning's life is in danger," Blaze said slowly.

"Mr Piston?"

Blaze was surprised. "How did you know?"

"I've had my suspicions for a while now, sir. As butler, I see and hear a lot of things that you and Mrs McQueen are not privy to."

Blaze nodded. "That is precisely why I'd like you to take on the extra duty as Lightning's bodyguard. Just whenever Gracie isn't with him. I'll even give you a slight pay rise to cover the extra time it'll take to keep an eye on him." He paused and looked directly at Mr Hood. "Lightning means the world to me, Hood. I wouldn't be able to bear it if something bad happened to him."

"I understand completely, sir. May I return to my duties?"

"Of course. And please, don't ever let Lightning know that you're his bodyguard. He'll resent it once he gets old enough to understand."

Nodding, Mr Hood left the office.

Back out in the lounge room, Lightning was innocently playing with his ball, completely oblivious to the danger he'd been in only minutes before. Seeing his Aunt May drive past, he pounced at her, biting down hard on her right rear tyre.

"Ow!" she yelped. "Hey! Lightning! Let go of me!"

Gracie quickly came to her rescue, pulling the reluctant Lightning off May's tyre. Turning around, May tickled Lightning under his chin, making him wriggle and squirm.

"I think he might be teething, Gracie," she said.

"He is," Gracie confirmed. "Would you mind looking after him, while I go and fetch his teething ring? After all, I'm quite sure you don't want a puncture."

A few minutes later, Gracie returned with Lightning teething ring, which she placed in his mouth. Clutching it between his tyres, he began to chew on it – hard.

Moving into the centre of the room, Blaze cleared his throat, making everyone look at him. "Does everyone have a glass with them? Yes, I do mean a full glass, Peter. Anyway, I'd like to thank you all for coming to spend Christmas day with us as usual. Of course, things are a little bit different this year, since we have a new addition to the family…"

Everyone glanced pointedly down at Lightning, who was just commencing to tear his teething ring to shreds. Hearing the ensuing silence, he stopped, glancing around at the adults, wondering if he'd done something wrong.

"Mamma?" he whispered nervously.

She held out a tyre towards him. He immediately dashed over to her, bumping her roughly in the side.

"Ooff! Lightning! Be more gentle next time!"

Blaze coughed deliberately. "As I was saying… It's Christmas. So, I'd like to wish all of you a very merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas!" everyone echoed, before taking sips from their wine glasses. Everyone that is, except for Lightning. He'd found his ball again.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me. **

Chapter 8

**6 months later – Summer 1989**

"Wake up, Lightning," Gracie said as she shook him gently. She then proceeded to open the curtains.

Yawning, Lightning opened his eyes, blinking in the bright morning sunlight. The day before, the whole family had travelled to this strange little house near the beach. His mother said that they were on holidays. Lightning didn't understand what that meant, but since everyone seemed to be so happy about it, he guessed it was a good thing.

Lightning was just stretching himself, when Gracie lifted him out of his cot. He squealed with annoyance. He didn't like being interrupted when he was in the middle of something. Ignoring his protests, Gracie carried him downstairs.

"Morning, Gracie," Elinor said as she brought several cans of oil out of the kitchenette. "How's my baby Lightning bolt this morning?"

"Sleepy," Gracie replied. She set Lightning down on the floor beside his father. "I think the drive down here yesterday wore him out. He went to sleep straight away last night."

Lightning tried to grab the newspaper his father was reading. Blaze pushed him away with his tyre.

"Gimme dada!" Lightning squealed, and he reached for the newspaper again.

"At last he says my name!" Blaze exclaimed joyously. "Pity he was annoying me when he said it." He gave Lightning another firm push. Gracie placed a can of oil in front of Lightning, and she directed the straw into his mouth. But instead of drinking, Lightning began biting the straw viciously.

"I hope you remembered to bring his teething ring this time," Susan said as she watched him. "He nearly tore my tyre to shreds the last time you visited!"

Smiling, Gracie held up the teething ring. Seeing it, Lightning made an energetic dive for it, only to end up colliding head-first into his Uncle Peter. Lightning gasped, believing he'd get into trouble, but Peter ignored him. After Gracie had steered Lightning away from Peter, she gave him the teething ring. Lightning bit onto it, hard.

"Now, go back and finish your breakfast," Gracie instructed him.

"No!" Lightning shouted stubbornly.

Peter folded up his own newspaper. "Susan and I were thinking of taking a drive down to the beach after breakfast."

"Me wanna go too!" Lightning exclaimed eagerly.

"Finish your breakfast first," Gracie told him firmly.

"I can't believe how much Lightning's already saying!" May said. "He's only eighteen months old, and he's talking like a two-year-old!"

"His paediatrician says that he's a fast learner and very forward for his age," Elinor explained.

"I'd like to take him with us," Susan smiled, returning the conversation back to Peter's original comment.

"I'd prefer it if Lightning didn't go with you," Blaze said.

"Why not?" Susan asked.

Blaze looked up at her. "Well… I'm sure you wouldn't want him tagging along with you."

"I wanna go!" Lightning squealed.

"I'll take good care of him," Susan promised.

Reluctantly, Blaze agreed, but only on the condition Gracie went with them. Thrilled, Lightning gulped down his breakfast.

Shortly afterwards, Lightning, Gracie, Peter and Susan drove out onto the beach. Lightning squealed and he jumped around excitedly when he felt the soft sand moving beneath his tyres. Giggling, he charged between Peter and Susan, sending up a spray of sand in his wake. Peter and Susan cringed as the sand landed on their hoods.

"Remind me never to have kids," Peter sighed.

Sometime later, the group returned to the area of beach just outside the holiday home. Susan and Gracie were deep in conversation and, believing that Lightning was right behind them, they went inside. But Lightning wasn't behind them. He'd become distracted by a strand of seaweed he'd seen floating around in the shallow ocean water. He began to chase it, getting deeper and deeper into the ocean.

Peter noticed what Lightning was doing. He was about to go and collect his innocent nephew, when he realised that this might be a way to get rid of him for good, and not be blamed for it. Smirking, he went and hid behind a nearby bush to watch.

Giggling happily, Lightning pounced on the seaweed, catching it between his front tyres. He then noticed the tiny baby submarines swimming around in the shallows. Squealing excitedly, he started to pounce on them instead. They were much faster than him though, and just when he thought he'd caught one, it'd slip straight out from beneath his tyre. Then they'd dart off in all directions, and the chase would begin again.

Suddenly, a large wave rolled over Lightning. Startled, Lightning froze in confusion. He had no idea where the water had come from. Just as suddenly as it had come, the water disappeared. Lightning took a deep breath. But before he could take another one, another wave crashed over him. Lightning tried to move, but his tyres had sunk in the water-logged sand, and he couldn't move.

As soon as he had a chance to breathe, Lightning cried out for help. But his cry was drowned by yet another wave…

Meanwhile inside the house, Gracie finally noticed that Lightning wasn't inside. Glancing out of the window, she could just see a blob of red being swirled around in the ocean.

"Lightning!" she screamed, catching everyone's attention. In an instant, everyone dashed outside, racing headlong across the sand.

Elinor reached lightning first. Using her hood, she pushed him out of the wet sand. A moment later, she gently let him roll off her hood. As soon as he'd landed on his roof in the soft sand, water poured out of his mouth.

"Oh, my goodness!" Elinor exclaimed hysterically. "He's not breathing! Help me, please!"

Ignoring Elinor's distress, Gracie began pressing firmly on Lightning's undercarriage with her forklift arms, forcing more water out of his lungs. Finally, Lightning coughed, and the last bit of water poured from his mouth.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Blaze exclaimed with relief.

"We'd better get him checked out by a doctor," Gracie said the an air of calm that everyone else was lacking.

"The hospital's closer," May added.

Nodding in agreement, Gracie scooped Lightning into her forklift arms. "Let's go."

…

Three hours later, Gracie carried Lightning back inside the holiday home. He was fast asleep in her arms. She carefully set him down inside his cradle, and she covered him with his favourite blanket.

"Are you sure he'll be all right?" Elinor asked from the doorway.

"The doctor seemed to think so," Gracie whispered. "He didn't like having his engine flushed out though."

"I can believe that! I wouldn't enjoy that either. He had every right to scream and carry one the way he did. I'm sorry I couldn't go in the room with you, but I know I would've fainted for sure!"

"At least the worst thing he suffered was the indignity of having his engine cleaned. I'm sorry I didn't keep a better eye on him."

"It's not your fault. We all should've kept a better eye on him. And now that the excitement's all over, let's go have some lunch. I think we could all use some."

"I think I'll stay here with him. Just in case…"

"Are you sure?"

"Perfectly."

"In that case, I'll bring you some lunch. Do you need anything else?"

"Just some warm oil for Lightning. You heard the doctor say that he should have some as soon as he feels up to it, since washing his engine out got rid of all the oil that was already in there. Can you place it in a baby's bottle too, please? It might be easier for him to drink it that way after everything he's been through today."

Nodding, Elinor left the room, closing the door softly behind her. She soon returned with Gracie's lunch and the oil for Lightning.

It was late in the afternoon when Lightning finally awoke. His engine felt rather sore, and his fuel tank was empty. He whimpered pitifully. Gracie gently scooped him up into her arms.

"There, there, little Lightning," she soothed. "I've got you. Would you like something nice to drink?"

She placed the baby bottle's teat against Lightning's lips, but he turned away, refusing to open his mouth.

"Come on, sweetie. I know you're hungry. I can hear your tank rumbling."

She tried again, but this time Lightning pushed the bottle away with his tyre.

"Are you sure you don't want any? I know you're feeling a bit sore and sorry for yourself, but you need to drink. Please?"

"Mamma?" Lightning whispered.

Sighing, Gracie carried Lightning out into the lounge room.

"What's wrong, Gracie?" Elinor asked anxiously.

"He's refusing to eat from me, so I thought you might have better luck," Gracie explained.

She gently set Lightning down on the floor in front of his mother. Elinor took the bottle of oil from Gracie, and she held it in position for Lightning. Snuggling up just beneath her chin, Lightning bit down on the teat and he finally began drinking. Elinor gave a contented, loving sigh. One thing was certain. Gracie might have the privilege of caring for Lightning, but he still knew exactly who his real mother was.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me. **

Chapter 9

_Crash!_

"Ohhh! Lightning Blaze McQueen!"

A terrified wail promptly echoed throughout the penthouse.

Gracie sighed heavily. She could only guess what had happened, but she was sure she wasn't wrong.

Sure enough, seconds later, Lightning raced into the sanctuary of his bedroom, where Gracie had spent the morning dusting and tidying up. He quickly darted behind her, in a vain attempt to hide from the wrath of his mother. He whimpered pitifully in fear.

Elinor stormed into the bedroom a moment later. She immediately saw Lightning's rear end sticking out from behind Gracie.

"Hold him down for me, Gracie!" she ordered. "I'll teach him to go racing through the house, smashing into everything! He broke my favourite vase this time!"

Gracie hesitated. She didn't like the idea of spanking children, but since she wasn't Lightning's mother, there was little she could do. Besides, it was common practice for children to be spanked every now and again when they were naughty. And she had heard Elinor repeatedly warning Lightning not to race around inside the house.

Lightning quivered as Gracie reluctantly pinned him down to the floor. He looked up at her with tears in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Lightning," Gracie apologised. "But you were warned many times…"

Lightning screamed when he felt his mother's large tyre connect solidly with his tiny rear end. For a moment, he hoped that would be it, but then he felt her tyre slap him again. Bursting into tears, he struggled, attempting to get away, but Gracie was much stronger than he was, and she kept him pinned down. Elinor gave Lightning one more smack before she gave permission for Gracie to release him. Lightning promptly spun around, turning his bruised rear end towards the wall, as though he was trying to protect it from further spankings. He was breathing heavily and sobbing.

"Now," Elinor said as she composed herself, "you will stay parked in that far corner, facing it, until I say you can move again. I will add an extra ten minutes to your time each time you move. And Gracie will be in here to ensure that you don't! Understood?"

Lightning responded by bursting into a fresh wave of tears. "I didn't mean ta do it, mamma! I-I didn't s-see it!"

Elinor pointed sternly towards the corner with her tyre. "Get into that corner! Now!"

Still sobbing, Lightning reluctantly drove over to the corner. He stopped as soon as his headlights hit either side of the corner's apex.

"Keep an eye on him, Gracie," Elinor instructed. "I'd better go and make sure Hood cleans up the glass properly."

After Elinor had gone, Gracie quietly continued cleaning up Lightning's room. Every now and again, she would hear Lightning mutter something she couldn't quite make out.

Ten minutes quickly elapsed. Lightning's tears had dried up by then, and he'd gone very quiet. In fact, he was so quiet, Gracie had to keep glancing over at him to ensure he was still there.

After another twenty minutes had gone by, Elinor stopped by Lightning's room. She grunted with satisfaction when she saw that he was still in the corner.

"He can move now, Gracie," she instructed. "I'm going out to do some shopping with my friends."

Gracie waited until Elinor had gone before she drove over to Lightning. She'd already guessed the reason as to why he'd been so quiet and still.

Sure enough, when she took a closer look at Lightning, she found that her little charge had drifted off to sleep. Chuckling softly, she gently lifted him into her arms, and she carried him over to his cot. What surprised her was the fact that Lightning didn't even stir. Normally, he'd moan, or show some other sign of protesting against being moved. She gently set him down in his cot, and she covered him with his blanket. Once she was sure he'd be okay, she quietly drove out of the room.

Gracie found Mr Hood in the entry foyer still cleaning up the remains of the coloured glass vase that had stood on a pedestal in the foyer. Gracie frowned in thought. Lightning would easily have been able to see it, even if he had been racing around crazily. Something just didn't add up.

"Did you see what happened with the vase, Hood?" she asked him.

"No, sorry. I just heard the crash, and then young Master Lightning screaming. For a moment, I thought he must've injured himself. I do know that Mrs McQueen had been trying to stop him racing around just before it happened. It was strange though. It was like…he couldn't seem to hear her, or something."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, Master Lightning is normally rather obedient, so it seemed odd that he would ignore his mother like that. Then again, he is still only a baby."

"He's a toddler," Gracie corrected him. "I'd better get back to him now, but thanks for that. You've been very helpful, as always."

…

Gracie was relieved when Blaze returned home before Elinor. She took him aside to talk to him. First, she told him what had happened with the vase, and about Lightning's punishment.

"…And he's still fast asleep,' she finished.

"I don't see what the problem is," Blaze said. "It's a shame about the vase, of course. I gave it to Elinor for our first wedding anniversary…"

"Sir. I think you'll agree with me when I say I know Lightning better than you do. And to have him completely ignore his mother like he did, and then collide with a pedestal that he could easily have avoided just doesn't add up."

"So, what are you saying?"

"This may have been an accident, or Lightning was telling the truth when he said he didn't see the vase. Perhaps there's something wrong with his eyesight."

Blaze nodded thoughtfully. "We could always have it tested, just to be sure," he agreed. "However, I do believe you're just being overly concerned for him. I suppose I should be glad about that, especially if you do turn out to be correct. I'll go and make an appointment for him."

Gracie nodded as Blaze drove into his study. Was she just being overly-cautious? She'd been keeping a very close eye on Lightning ever since he'd almost drowned. Sighing, she returned to Lightning's bedroom. She smiled when she saw the little red car stirring beneath his blanket. Then she realised that he was chewing on one of the corners. Frowning, she gently pulled the blanket out of Lightning's mouth, replacing it with his teething ring. He chewed on it a few times before he pushed it away. He then gave a wide yawn, and he started to stretch his axles.

"Think you can wake up, sleepyhead?" Gracie teased.

Lightning just moaned in response as he settled back down under his blanket. Gracie sighed with concern. She'd never seen him sleep for this long during the day! Something was definitely wrong with him, but she had no idea what it was. She gently touched his hood with the inside of her wheel, hoping he wasn't coming down with something. His temperature felt normal, but that didn't lessen her concern for him.

…

Two days later, Blaze and Elinor took Lightning to see an optometrist. Gracie had insisted on going with them, but Elinor wasn't happy with her for thinking that there was something wrong with Lightning's eyesight, and so they'd left her behind. Lightning hadn't been terribly pleased about that, and he'd refused to leave the house. That is, until Mr Hood had carried Lightning into the lift himself, and set him firmly down on the floor between his parents.

"Where we going?" Lightning asked his parents as they drove slowly through the heavy New York traffic.

"It's a surprise," Blaze replied. He glanced down at Lightning, amazed that he already knew so many words. After all, he was only twenty months old!

"Will I like it?"

"Maybe…"

Elinor gave an exasperated sigh as the car in front of her changed lanes without indicating. "We're going to see a specialist eye doctor, Lightning," she explained.

"Why?"

"Because Gracie thinks there's something wrong with your eyesight."

"What's that?"

"Never mind," Elinor said.

Seeing that neither of his parents wanted to talk, Lightning stopped asking questions. He was sure he'd get the answers soon.

Sure enough, he did. The optometrist had his offices inside a hospital, a few blocks away from the Daimler building. Once they were inside the waiting room, Lightning looked around curiously. The waiting room had a very clinical appearance to it, which was starting to frighten him a bit. There were several other cars in the waiting room too, but none of them were his age. An older boy, who was a van and who appeared at be about ten years of age, looked at Lightning. Lightning couldn't stop staring at him. He was wearing the dorkiest glasses Lightning had ever seen! Now he was really worried. He didn't want to look like that! Then the other boy smiled at Lightning, making him gasp. The other boy had strange things all over his teeth! They were braces, but Lightning didn't know that. He'd never seen anything like it before! He nudged Blaze.

"I wanna go, dada!" he demanded.

"Not yet, Lightning," Blaze replied firmly. "I need you to be on your best behaviour for Doctor Jenkins."

"Why?"

"Because he needs to find out if you can see properly."

"I can see fine, dada! Let's go!"

Blaze looked sadly at Lightning. He could see that his young son was terrified, but he didn't know what to do about it.

"Maybe we should've brought Gracie with us," he whispered to Elinor.

Elinor glanced down at Lightning just in time to see him tremble. "You can settle down on my hood if you like, Lightning," she offered.

"No! Don't like you! You hit me!"

Elinor and Blaze exchanged awkward glances.

"Lightning," Elinor said firmly. "I was punishing you, which is why we're here today."

Lightning didn't understand what she meant by that, so he fell silent,

Finally, Lightning heard someone call his name. Realising that he couldn't avoid this, he reluctantly went with his parents inside Dr Jenkin's office.

"Now, what can I do for you?" Dr Jenkins, a white forklift, asked them. Lightning shrank back in the darkened room.

"Lightning's nurse is concerned that he might have vision problems, and all because he drove into a pedestal the other day," Elinor explained.

"We just want to know if the nurse is right," Blaze added. "I know it's best to have these things sorted out from a young age."

Dr Jenkins nodded. "Right, well, I'll conduct a basic infant eye test on him today. If that shows up anything abnormal, I'll conduct some further tests. I suppose he's too young to be able to read yet?"

"That's correct," Elinor confirmed. "Although he does talk a lot for a car his age."

Smiling, Dr Jenkins moved a strange apparatus out of the way. Lightning looked at it curiously. It looked like a large mask connected to another strange machine.

"Come over here please, Lightning," Dr Jenkins instructed.

Lightning moved further away. "No."

"You won't get a lollipop if you don't," Dr Jenkins said.

Lightning moved forward a bit, but then he hesitated again.

"I told you to be on your best behaviour, Lightning," Blaze reminded him sternly.

With a tiny whimper, Lightning parked himself in the dark corner Dr Jenkins had indicated towards. Closing his eyes, he shivered.

"It's okay, Lightning," Dr Jenkins soothed. "I'm guessing you've never been to see an eye doctor before, have you?"

Lightning shook his hood. He opened up his eyes. Dr Jenkins was holding up a large model of an eye.

"This is what your eyes looks like," he gently explained. "I know our eyes look flat, but the front actually has a slight curve to it. Now, sometimes that curve isn't as perfect as it should be. It can be damaged; usually by an accident if your windshield gets broken. And some cars are mistakenly built with an imperfect curve. Do you understand?"

Lightning shook his hood again, but a bit slower this time. Dr Jenkins sighed.

"Well, I need to see if the curve over your eyes has been damaged. Will you let me do that?"

Lightning nodded slowly.

"It won't hurt, I promise. I'm just going to shine this little light into your eyes, and I want you to follow it, okay?"

Lightning couldn't help squinting when he saw the light, but his eyes quickly adjusted to it. Dr Jenkins moved the torch all around, up and down, and side to side.

"Okay, that's good. Now, I want you to look at my arm here…" He held it up. "Don't look at the light anymore. Just follow my arm…"

Dr Jenkins moved his arm around just like he'd done with the torch. Lightning tried to follow it, but it wasn't quite as easy as following the torch. Especially since Dr Jenkins was still shining the torch in his eyes.

"Good. Now, I want you to look straight at me…"

Lightning did so. Dr Jenkins brought the torch right up to Lightning's eyes, shinning the light deeply into each of them. Finally, Dr Jenkins put the torch aside, and he turned to look at lightning's parents.

"I must say, he's got the most beautiful blue eyes I've ever seen! Whose side of the family does he get them form?"

"Mine," Blaze replied, smiling proudly. "My mother's eyes were much the same shade."

"Can we go home now, dada?" Lightning asked hopefully.

"Not yet," Dr Jenkins said. He was filling an eye dropper with a clear solution. "I'm just going to put these drops in your eyes. They'll just make your vision a bit blurry."

Lightning gasped when Dr Jenkins brought the dropper over to him. He didn't like the look of that dropper coming so close to his eyes. He quickly closed them.

"Lightning…" Dr Jenkins said firmly. "I promised you this wouldn't hurt. Please open your eyes for me."

With a whimper, Lightning did so. Dr Jenkins quickly placed the drops into Lightning's eyes before he had a chance to close them again. The drops stung a little bit, and only for a moment, but he still closed his eyes.

Once Lightning had opened his eyes again, Dr Jenkins repeated the light tests with his torch. By the time he'd completed his tests, Lightning couldn't see clearly because of the eye drops, and he was exhausted. As soon as Dr Jenkins let him, he drove carefully over to his parents. He huddled up between them, looking rather sorry for himself.

Dr Jenkins turned to face them. "Well, the good news is that Lightning has twenty-twenty vision. There is absolutely nothing wrong with his eyesight."

"That's a relief!" Elinor said. "I knew Gracie was wrong."

"That doesn't mean he won't develop vision problems later in life," Dr Jenkins added. "I'm not saying that it will happen, but for the time being, he's fine."

Lightning looked up at his parents. "Can we go home now?"

"Yes, sweetie," Elinor said gently.

"Just a moment," Dr Jenkins said. He held up a red coloured lollipop. "Here you go, young Lightning. This is for being a good boy during the tests."

Lightning sheepishly took the lollipop in his mouth. "Thank you," he mumbled.

"Let's go," Blaze said. "Thank you for your time, Dr Jenkins."

Dr Jenkins smiled warmly. "My pleasure."


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me. **

Chapter 10

**January 1991**

Lightning was out of control. Again. He'd turned three years old only a week ago, and although some wild behaviour was to be expected, this clearly was not normal behaviour for a toddler. Gracie sighed with frustration as she watched her little charge careering all around the house, crashing helplessly into the walls and furniture. Mr Hood was also watching the scene with wide, concerned eyes.

_Thank goodness Mr and Mrs McQueen aren't home to see this,_ Gracie thought. _Then again, I wish they were… Perhaps then Mrs McQueen will believe me when I tell her that there is something wrong with Lightning. _

"Lightning! Please, stop!" Gracie begged as he dashed past her once again. But then she noticed something. Lightning was hyperventilating and he looked terrified.

_He _can't_ stop!_ she realised with despair.

"What should we do?" Mr Hood wondered.

"Let him wear himself out. But this is the worst he's ever been. I'm not sure if or when he'll stop."

"I'll phone Dr Wheel," Mr Hood decided.

Gracie nodded her approval. Lightning raced past her again. Clearly, he wasn't about to slow down anytime soon.

Mr Hood returned to the hallway. "Dr Wheel is on his way. He should be here in about half an hour."

"Thank you. Lightning…" Gracie sighed when she saw the young car collide head-on with the lift doors. She turned to Mr Hood. "He is completely out of control!"

"Let's try and grab him," Mr Hood suggested.

Gracie hesitated. "Someone could get hurt…"

"Who? Him or us? Come on. If we can't stop him by grabbing him, we'll let him go."

"Okay."

"Here he comes…"

Mr Hood and Gracie both made a dive for Lightning as he raced towards them. They tried to grab him with their forklift arms. For a brief moment, they managed to pin him down, but then, with a pained squeal, he wriggled free. Tears streamed down his hood as he drove back down the hallway. Gracie held up her arms.

"I am NOT doing that again! I don't want to hurt him."

Mr Hood had to agree. "Maybe we should ask the chef for help…"

The phone rang before Gracie could reply. Mr Hood answered it. After a moment, he hung up and turned to Gracie. "Dr Wheel is on his way up."

Sure enough, Dr Wheel emerged from the lift a few minutes later, only to be almost run over by Lightning as he raced past.

"Whoa!" the elderly white Land Rover exclaimed. "What was that?"

Gracie and Mr Hood drove over to him.

"_That_ was Lightning," Gracie sighed.

"I see. And how long has he been like this?"

"Too long!"

"About forty-five minutes," Mr Hood answered, ignoring Gracie's response. "He's just completely out of control, and we can't stop him."

Dr Wheel nodded thoughtfully. Lightning raced between them again. He was still hyperventilating and he looked very distressed.

"Is this the first time he's done this?"

"No," Gracie replied. "He first started losing control of himself over a year ago. These episodes have been getting progressively worse and more frequent. This is the worst he's ever been."

"Right. Well, our priority right now is stopping him safely."

"We've tried, but we don't want to hurt him," Gracie said.

Dr Wheel looked thoughtful. "Let's try cornering him."

With the help of the chef, the four of them managed to herd Lightning into a corner in the lounge room. It was clear that Lightning had finally started to tire, but he still had plenty of pent-up energy left.

"Shh… It's okay Lightning," Gracie soothed. She was holding his favourite red blanket in her arms. "We need you to try and stop moving. Please."

Lightning was panting heavily. He could see the adults closing in on him. His eyes darted left and right as he looked for a way to escape. But there wasn't one. He started sobbing and revving his engine in distress. His engine was telling him to keep moving, but the rest of him was exhausted. Not knowing what to do, he turned towards the wall, trying to hide. He vaguely felt the blanket being draped over him.

"There now…" Gracie said gently. "Turn your engine off, please."

Whimpering, Lightning tried to. With a loud grid and a shudder, Lightning's engine finally fell silent. Breathing a heavy sigh of relief, Lightning collapsed onto his chassis.

Gracie scooped the exhausted toddler into her arms. He snuggled down against her body. Tears pricked Gracie's eyes as she looked up at Dr Wheel.

"What do you think is wrong with him?" she asked anxiously.

Dr Wheel looked equally as anxious as he looked down at lightning. "I'm not sure… I've never come across anything like this before. What about Mr and Mrs McQueen? Do they know about this?"

"In part," Gracie replied. "Mrs McQueen doesn't believe there's anything wrong with him, but Mr McQueen does at least listen to me when I express my concerns."

"Okay. I'll talk to them, personally. What time are they due home?"

"Mrs McQueen will be out until late," Mr Hood answered. "Mr McQueen should be back at about five-thirty – in half an hour."

Dr Wheel nodded. "I'll wait. Let's get Lightning comfortable for now. Poor kid."

Everyone looked down at Lightning, who was finally drifting off to sleep.

…

Half an hour later, Blaze returned home. He was surprised to find Dr Wheel waiting for him, and like any father would, he immediately panicked, believing that something terrible had happened to his only child.

"Where is he?" he growled, turning on Gracie.

"H-he's asleep in his room, sir," Gracie whispered. "Please don't wake him!"

"I seriously doubt even a hurricane would wake him after what's happened," Mr Hood muttered as Blaze hurried into Lightning's bedroom.

Blaze breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his young son sleeping contently in his cot. He turned on Dr Wheel.

"What is going on?"

"I think we should talk inside your study," Dr Wheel told him gravely.

Once Blaze and Dr Wheel were alone inside the study, the doctor slipped a card across the polished floor to Blaze. Frowning curiously, Blaze looked at it.

"Dr Spark…" he said, reading the name on the card.

"Dr Spark is THE best paediatrician in the country, if not the world," Dr Wheel explained. "He's a specialist in many infantile diseases and conditions, and unlike other paediatricians, he often keeps tabs on his patients well into adulthood. That helps him develop new treatments for even the rarest of illnesses. Fortunately, he's based right here in New York City."

"What's he got to do with Lightning?" Blaze wondered.

"Everything. I referring Lightning to him."

"Why?"

"Mr McQueen," Dr Wheel said in that firm listen-to-me-or-else tone that doctors often use. "Your son has a condition that is seriously affecting his behaviour. I know you're hardly ever here to see it, but your staff are, and they're very concerned. And having seen Lightning having one of his fit this evening, I can assure you that they aren't exaggerating. For the sake of your son's health, I'm ordering you to take him to see Dr Spark."

Blaze sighed heavily. "All right. I'll make an appointment." He dialled the number on the card. After a moment, someone on the other end answered. "Hello?" Blaze said. "Is that Dr Spark's office? Oh, good. I'd like to make an appointment for my son, Lightning McQueen. He's had a referral from his GP. How soon can you fit him in? Friday next week? At nine-thirty a.m.? Yes, that'll be fine. Thank you." He hung up the phone. "Happy now?"

"Yes. And I know you will be too once Lightning gets the specialist treatment he needs." Dr Wheel turned to leave.

"Dr Wheel?"

The doctor turned back around to face Blaze. "Yes?"

"What do you think is wrong with my son?"

"From what I've seen, he seems to have no control over his engine. That's all I'll say for now. Goodnight."

Dr Wheel left, closing the door behind him. Blaze sank down lower on his tyres, and he began to cry softly. All he'd ever wanted was a healthy son. Now, all his dreams were being shattered, and he had no control over it.

**Please review! As I've said before I've really been struggling with the plot for the story, but I think I'm back on track at last. Please, let me know what you think. **


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me. **

Chapter 11

"Mamma? Where are we going?" Lightning asked his mother for the umpteenth time since they'd left home about fifteen minutes earlier.

"You'll find out when we get there," Elinor patiently replied. She glanced down sadly at her bubbly little son. Up until the day before, nobody had been able to convince her that her son really was ill. Blaze, Gracie, Mr Hood and even Dr Wheel had spent the last week trying to convince her that Lightning was suffering from an unknown illness that made him completely uncontrollable, but without having witnessed it for herself, she hadn't been able to believe them. And she'd been furious with Blaze for making an appointment with the specialist without discussing it with her first.

But then, shortly after dinner the evening before, Lightning had gone completely crazy. Elinor had never felt as helpless as she did when she watched her precious young son racing helplessly around the penthouse. All she could do was watch as Gracie, Mr Hood and the chef worked together to corner the terrified Lightning. He'd managed to slip past them several times before he'd finally settled down enough to allow himself to be caught. After that, Elinor reluctantly had to agree that something was wrong with Lightning. She'd ended up crying herself to sleep with Blaze hugging her tightly. She knew that he was just as devastated as she was.

Now, they were driving to the hospital for Lightning's appointment with the specialist, Dr Spark. They'd decided not to tell Lightning anything about the appointment, since the less he knew about what was going on, the less worried he'd be.

Lightning's eyes widened with fear when he saw that they were about to enter the hospital. Seeing his hesitation, Blaze scooped Lightning up onto his hood.

"It's okay, son," he soothed. "We're just going to visit someone."

"Who?"

"You'll find out."

"Will I like them?"

"We hope so," Elinor said, trying desperately hard not to shed any tears.

They found their way to Dr Spark's office on the fifth floor. Lightning couldn't read the doctor's name on the door, but Blaze felt him tense up as they dove into the waiting room. The waiting room looked very clinical, except for the toys scattered across the floor. Only one other family was in there. Lightning looked at the little baby girl car, suckling on a bottle of baby oil. Seeing Lightning riding on his father's hood, she giggled and threw her bottle down onto the floor.

Elinor drove over to the reception desk. Smiling, the receptionist, a cute pink forklift, looked up at them.

"Hi. Uh, we have an appointment for nine-thirty. For our son, Lightning."

"Yes…" the receptionist glanced through her appointment book. "Lightning McQueen?"

"That's right."

The receptionist handed over a form and a pen. "Please, fill out your son's details, and make yourselves comfortable. Dr Spark shouldn't be much longer."

Blaze and Elinor parked themselves near the other couple. Lightning slipped off Blaze's hood, and he settled down amongst the toys. Seeing the wooden building blocks, he began stacking them as high as he could reach.

A few minutes later, Lightning heard a door open. Looking up, he saw a spotlessly white 1970s Range Rover follow a mother and her ten-year-old son out of the examination room. The Range Rover was Dr Spark, but Lightning didn't know that then. He watched as the family with the baby followed Dr Spark back inside the examination room.

Lightning was suddenly scared. He turned to face his parents. "Can we go home now? Please?"

"No, sweetie," Elinor told him gently. "Keep playing."

Lightning reluctantly returned to the toys. Elinor finished filling out the form, and she returned it to the receptionist.

Five minutes later, the door opened again, and the couple with the baby emerged. Dr Spark went with them over to the reception desk. Lightning saw the receptionist hand him a file.

"Lightning McQueen?" Dr Spark called, looking straight at him.

Lightning instantly burst into tears. He could still remember his visit to Dr Jenkins, the optometrist, so he now understood that his parents had brought him here to see another doctor.

Embarrassed by Lightning's outburst, Elinor tried to push him into the office, but Lightning stubbornly refused to move.

"No!" he screamed. "Wanna go home! Now!"

"And miss out on the special surprise I've got for you?" Dr Spark asked, feigning surprise.

Gulping back his tears, Lightning cautiously looked up at him. "W-what surprise?"

"Ah! I'm not going to tell you. You need to behave yourself and let me look at you, and then you'll get it."

Lightning hesitated while he considered the proposal. "Will I like the surprise?"

"I hope so. But if you don't, I can give you something else that you will like."

"Okay then," Lightning whimpered. Scrambling onto his father's hood again, they followed Dr Spark inside his office. Dr Spark closed the door behind them.

"Right," he said, driving over to his desk. "What seems to be the problem with young Lightning?"

"He's been having what we call 'episodes', where he loses complete control of himself," Blaze explained. "Lightning's nurse was the first to realise something was wrong with him about a year ago, but we just thought he was being naughty. He is a toddler after all…ow! Lightning! Stop poking at my eyes!"

Lightning giggled as Blaze tilted himself forwards. He slid easily onto the floor. Seeing more toys in a basket beneath Dr Spark's desk, he tipped it over, scattering the toys across the floor.

Dr Spark nodded thoughtfully as he watched Lightning amusing himself. "What's he like when he does lose control of himself?"

"He just races around the house, and he can't seem to stop himself," Elinor replied. "We can see that he's completely terrified whenever it happens."

"Do you have any footage of this occurring?"

"Not yet," Blaze said. "But I could get some to show you."

"That'd be good if you could. It'll help me make the correct diagnosis."

"Do you have any idea what it could be?" Elinor asked hopefully.

Dr Spark hesitated. "Possibly, but I'd rather not say anything until I know for certain. So far, I've narrowed it down to five possible conditions. What type of fuel is he on?"

"Just regular unleaded," Elinor answered. "Why?"

"Some cars can't handle certain types of fuel," Dr Spark explained. "I'll have to test his reaction to it, just to make sure that isn't what's causing this. What time do the attacks usually happen? Are they random, or do they always seem to occur at a certain time, like after a meal?"

"Now that you mention it, they do seem to be occurring after meals," Blaze replied, looking concerned. "We should've brought his nanny with us. She knows more about his attacks than we do."

"We could call her," Dr Spark suggested.

They did. A few minutes later, Lightning was surprised to hear Gracie's voice in the room. He glanced around in confusion, looking for her. He didn't understand that her voice was coming from the phone's loudspeaker.

"Nanna?" he called.

"Shh!" Elinor told him softly. "We're talking."

After Dr Spark had confirmed with Gracie everything Blaze and Elinor had told him, he asked her a few more questions. "What does Lightning do after he's had an attack?"

"He always goes to sleep," Gracie answered.

"How long for?"

"At least five hours. More if the attack occurs in the evening."

"And is it a restless sleep, or is he dead to the world?"

"Dead to the world. It's very difficult to wake him."

"How about his appetite? Does he always eat what he's given, or is he a fussy eater?"

"It varies, depending on his mood, but on the whole I'd say he's very good."

"Has he ever had tank-ache?"

"No. He's never had anything disagree with him."

"Okay… Is there anything else you can tell me that might be helpful?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Great, thank you very much." Dr Spark hung up the phone, and he turned back to Blaze and Elinor. "Is there anything else that you're not telling me?"

Lightning's parents exchanged a glance.

"Yes," Blaze admitted. "When he was built, something went wrong with the computer. It somehow got a virus that interfered with Lightning's body and mechanics. That's why he doesn't look like us. Elinor and I decided to keep him in the hope that the virus wouldn't affect him too much in the future, and we agreed to keep it a secret from everyone, including the rest of our family."

Dr Spark nodded slowly. "I understand. Thank you for telling me about that. I'll just write down some notes, and then I'll examine him. Can you get him onto the examination table for me, please?"

"Not the hydraulic lift?" Elinor asked, surprised.

Dr Spark shook his hood. "Not yet."

Blaze managed to grab hold of Lightning with his tyres, and he lifted him onto the examination table that was normally used for examining babies and toddlers. Lightning squealed excitedly when his tyres slipped on the shiny metal surface.

"Skate!" he said, grinning.

Dr Spark washed his tyres before coming over to them. He began by conducting a general examination of Lightning. Lightning couldn't help squirming and trying to get away from the creepy doctor. It took both Blaze and Elinor to pin him down to the examination table, especially when Dr Spark tried to look down Lightning's throat. Lightning screamed and wailed until Dr Spark finally stopped touching him. With a sigh of defeat, Dr Spark set his stethoscope down on a nearby bench.

"One thing's for sure,' he said. "Lightning has a healthy set of lungs! I think it'd be best to sedate him while I conduct the rest of the tests."

"What tests?" Elinor asked fearfully.

"Engine and brain scans, and oil and fuel tests. I'll also conduct the allergy test while he's sedated."

Blaze nodded sadly. Lightning reached out to him with his front tyres.

"Home now?" he asked hopefully.

"Not yet," Blaze told him gently.

Dr Spark prepared the sedative behind Lightning. Blaze did his best to keep Lightning's attention focused on himself, so he wouldn't freak out at the sight of the large syringe.

"When do I get my surprise?" Lightning asked.

"Soon, sweetie," Elinor answered. Tears pricked her eyes as she studied her energetic young son. Then she looked at Dr Spark. "Do you think he's in any pain?" she asked him in a whisper.

Dr Spark shook his hood. "No. That'd be obvious if he was, even to you."

Reassured, Elinor nodded. Moving very quickly, Dr Spark injected the sedative into Lightning's fuel tank. Lightning yelped when he felt the cold liquid flowing into him, and he tried to move away, but Dr Spark was too fast and he'd administered the full dosage before Lightning could figure out what was happening. Within two minutes, Lightning's eyelids started to droop as the sedative took hold of him.

"Mamma?" Lightning called sleepily. He sounded frightened though. "Dada?"

"It's okay, sweetie," Elinor soothed through her tears as she gently touched his front left tyre. "You just need to go to sleep for a while. We'll both be right here with you when you wake up."

Nodding slowly, Lightning stopped fighting the sedative. Seconds later, he was fast asleep.

…

Two hours later, Dr Spark had completed all of the scans and tests that he needed for the time being. Elinor gazed sadly at Lightning, who'd been bundled up in blankets and placed back on the examination table. He shivered in his sleep.

"Have you drawn your conclusions yet, doctor?" Blaze asked anxiously as he watched Dr Spark studying Lightning's scans.

"I'm beginning to," he replied with an air of sadness. "Once I have the results of his oil and fuel tests, I'll know for sure. At least we know he's not allergic to any fuels."

"I wish he was," Elinor sighed. "Then we'd at least know the cause of his behaviour."

Lightning moaned and stirred. "Mamma? Dada?"

"We're right here, sweetie," Elinor assured him. "Just like we promised."

Opening his eyes, Lightning glanced around, trying to remember where he was. Seeing the toys that he'd been playing with earlier back in the basket, he pointed to them with his tyre. "Play?"

"Is it okay to let him play again?" Elinor asked Dr Spark.

"If he's feeling up to it," Dr Spark said with a smile.

After Elinor had untangled Lightning from the blankets, he jumped onto her hood. Then he slid off it, landing softly on the floor. With one deft move from his tyre, he sent the basket toppling over again, scattering the toys all over the floor.

"I think we can safely say that the sedative's worn off now," Dr Spark chuckled. Someone knocked on the door. "Yes?" Dr Spark called.

The receptionist entered and she handed him a file. "A nurse just brought this up from the lab."

"Thank you."

The receptionist left, closing the door behind her. Dr Spark opened the file, and he read the results silently to himself. Clutching one another's tyres, Blaze and Elinor held their breaths as they waited for Dr Spark to speak.

Finally, Dr Spark looked up at them. "Well, all of my tests are conclusive," he said sadly. "I'm afraid Lightning is suffering from 'Jaguar Syndrome'.

The End

**A/N: If you want to read what happens next, and you haven't already read 'Lightning's Secret', please do so. Thank you to everyone who reviewed this story. I really appreciate your support and encouragement. **


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